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E3: Is 'I Am Setsuna' A Return To The Golden Age Of JRPGs?
Madeline Ricchiuto writes from E3,
Tokyo RPG Factory and Square Enix's I am Setsuna was designed to be a more modern take on the JRPGs of the past. While exploring the world, you're watching as small sprites march around in the snow from a fixed-camera third person perspective. The battle system was based on early RPGs like Chrono Trigger and early Final Fantasy titles, while the game's playtime was modeled after SNES games from the 90s, rather than extend the content given the updated scale and power of modern-day gaming technology. It is worth noting that despite being a nostalgia game, I Am Setsuna was developed in Unity.
A key theme in I Am Setsuna is sadness, as the protagonist's name "Setsuna" can be translated from the Japanese to mean sadness or sorrow. The story's snow-covered setting and general tone are used to carry this theme while simultaneously evoking images of classic RPGS. "Setsuna" can also be translated to mean "a moment in time" which ties into the game's Chrono Trigger-esque battle mechanic.
The haunting soundtrack of the game was composed by Tomoki Miyoshi and performed by Randy Kerber.
I Am Setsuna will be released on PS4 and Windows 10 in North America on July 19th.